Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar area has recently been thrust into the spotlight following a tragic incident that highlighted the hazardous conditions of illegally used basement spaces by coaching centres. On Saturday evening, heavy rains caused the basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle coaching institute to flood, resulting in the deaths of three IAS aspirants.
In the aftermath of this tragedy, authorities have intensified their crackdown on illegal basement classrooms. The Drishti IAS coaching centre, a prominent establishment in Mukherjee Nagar known for civil services preparation and run by educator Vikas Divyakirti, was among those affected. The centre’s basement was sealed on Monday and it was instructed to contact city authorities. The notice revealed that the basement classes being conducted there were illegal, leading to the sealing of five rooms.
Following the sealing of Drishti IAS and six other coaching institutes in Central Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar, hundreds of students protested outside the Drishti IAS centre on Monday. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has now sealed the basements of 20 coaching centres across Rajinder Nagar and Mukherjee Nagar that were unlawfully used as classrooms or libraries.
Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi confirmed, “As of Sunday, we had sealed 13 basements in Rajinder Nagar, and on Monday, we sealed six more. Our anti-encroachment drive also targeted structures obstructing storm drains, with additional action in Mukherjee Nagar.”
Notable coaching centres sealed include Drishti IAS Institute, Vaji Ram and Ravi IAS hub, and SriRam IAS Institute in Rajinder Nagar, along with Drishti (The Vision) in Mukherjee Nagar.
(With inputs from agencies)